SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland is thrilled to announce that Yasmina Mokhtar is the Gold Award Girl Scout from Joplin, Missouri to be awarded a national scholarship from Girl Scouts of the USA for extraordinary action in addressing the communication barriers students using English as their second language face in their everyday lives and the impact not providing all students with the knowledge tools they require can make.
Girl Scouts across Missouri are making a difference in their local communities, Girl Scouts like Yasmina. She created her Gold Award project to aid children from different backgrounds in learning English as a second language. Her focus was on aiding the refugees from Afghanistan in her community Joplin, Missouri.
Yasmina said, “I was especially inspired to move forward with aiding in teaching Afghan refugees English as a second language after a young refugee boy, named Rezwan, passed away.”
She decided she wanted to lead by example, so Yasmina held workshops and tutored kids after school to ensure they were taught English and how to reach out when they are struggling to communicate.
Her project did not end here, she took it international! Yasmina has visited Cairo, Egypt every year since birth and she continued her project there, working with a group of children from a lower socioeconomic status.
She said this on why she chose Egypt “I would like to give young children who are not given the opportunity to learn English hope that they too can learn it and be efficient in it.” Yasmina added additional resources to aid in advancing her students’ knowledge by establishing free little libraries here in the States and in Cario, she also created a website that links to nonprofit organizations, and posts tips and tricks on American culture on her TikTok account. It is truly inspiring knowing we have difference makers like Yasmina making our community and the world around us a better place every day!
Gold Award Girl Scouts become innovative problem-solvers, empathetic leaders, confident public speakers, and focused project managers. They learn resourcefulness, tenacity, and decision-making skills, giving them an edge personally and professionally. As they take action to transform their communities, Gold Award Girl Scouts gain tangible skills and prove they’re the leaders our world needs.
Girls in grades K–12 can join Girl Scouts any time during the year to begin their Girl Scout journey. As girls grow with Girl Scouts, they learn hands-on leadership skills they’ll use to make their mark through the Gold Award and beyond. To join or volunteer, visit www.girlscouts.org/join.
We Are Girl Scouts.
Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs from community to community, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit girlscoutsmoheartland.org.